What is Folding@Home?

[Kardashian]

Somebody, for the love of all that is Holy, please tell me what the bloody hell folding at home is!

First of all (for some reason) I thought it was a charity thing, were computers shared internet connects and proc. power, now, I dunno what I think.

I'm so lost. Is an outside-UK thing or what?

Signed,
Clueless

 

[mad jew]

Maybe start at our Folding@Home FAQ.

 

[Kardashian]

Maybe start at our Folding@Home FAQ.

Mad Jew, in all your wisdom, can you help me!

I still don't understand! What does protein research have to do with our Macs?

Dwi ar goll! ('I'm lost' in Welsh)

but still

 

[mad jew]

No wisdom here. From what I've gathered (and I'm often wrong), it's a much cheaper alternative for research to be undertaken in small parts on computers around the world than for a company to hire out a supercomputer. People donate their computer power, if you like.

Wish I knew how to speak Welsh. It sounds cool.

 

[Kardashian]

No wisdom here. From what I've gathered (and I'm often wrong), it's a much cheaper alternative for research to be undertaken in small parts on computers around the world than for a company to hire out a supercomputer. People donate their computer power, if you like.

Thanks very much. Now I understand.

Wish I knew how to speak Welsh. It sounds cool.

I could teach you, maybe! I'm finishing School of Sept. 07 and I'm either going to Uni here, then looking into moving to Oz/Canada, or taking a year out before Uni. then coming back here to do a Degree, then move out again permanently.

Diolch (the 'ch' is a sort of hiss/spit noise from your throat, think of a plane taking off) yn fawr iawn, Mad Jew. Dwi'n hapus iawn bod ti wedi helpu fi (Thank you very much, Mad Jew. I'v very pleased you've been able to help me)

 

[keysersoze]

Mad Jew, in all your wisdom, can you help me!

I still don't understand! What does protein research have to do with our Macs?

Dwi ar goll! ('I'm lost' in Welsh)

but still

Folding@Home is not just for Macs... the application can be installed on PC's with Windows and Linux as well. So while people type their emails and surf for pr0n (which doesn't overload the cpu at all), their unused cpu cycles can actually be used for something that befefits all of mankind. The Stanford website, where the project originates, says that several of the current projects include research on Alzheimer's Disease, Cancer, Huntington's Disease and Parkinson's Disease.

Think of it as doing a good thing for the world.

And my ancestors are Welsh! yay!

 

[UKnjb]

If I can help a bit (although MJ does these things soooooo much better)?

Folding@home is a project, very much like SETI (Search for Extra-terrestrial Lif) that depends on the processing of an 'enormous' amount of data. Proteins are polymers of amino acids that are assembled in a linear fashion. However, they are found in nature in complex three-dimensional (folded) structures. Various algorithms exist to predict the 3-D structure and these require the same massive computational power of the SETI project. So you join the project, chunks of data are downloaded to your computer, the computation is done on your machine using the spare capacity of your processor (when it is idling) and the results are fed back to the host of the project. Umpteen (where umpteen is a large number) computers around the world are involved in this project and it is hoped that the 3-D structures of a large numbers of proteins will be determined.

There are major implications for medical advances (drugs, therapies, bio-manipulations etc) from the project.

Does this help? Sorry I couldn't answer in Welsh.

 

[Kardashian]

..current projects include research on Alzheimer's Disease, Cancer, Huntington's Disease and Parkinson's Disease.

Think of it as doing a good thing for the world.

I'm gonna start right away

And my ancestors are Welsh! yay!

YooHoo! Sadly, I don't want to stay in Wales anymore

I wanted to move out, Uni in US/Oz/Canada - then live there.. but I believe your grand ol' country doesn't accept immigrants from the UK anymore.. so Canada and Oz are on the cards.. need my degree first though. Just to take you completelly off track.

 

[Kardashian]

Does this help? Sorry I couldn't answer in Welsh.

Jeese, Mr.Man! A simple ''they use your computers power to do research into.." would have done.

Well done on you! I wouldn't even attempt to answer that in Welsh.. some words don't actually exist for the language - so we would have to make new ones along the way

 

[mad jew]

josh.thomas, if you choose Oz then we can meet up, I'll buy you a beer and we can practice our Welsh.

Good luck with your study in the meantime.

 

[Kardashian]

josh.thomas, if you choose Oz then we can meet up, I'll buy you a beer and we can practice our Welsh.

Good luck with your study in the meantime.

Definatley! I'll be over for about 5 weeks next summer for sure.

Do you know what its like to emmigrate there? I'm a UK citizen, so since we have a bit of a bond hopefully it won't be too hard..

Edit: Sorry Jewy, only do Spirits me, no Beer! lol

 

[mad jew]

Sorry, no idea there. I can't imagine it'd be too hard though.

 

[kretzy]

Do you know what its like to emmigrate there? I'm a UK citizen, so since we have a bit of a bond hopefully it won't be too hard..

Yeah I think it's pretty easy to get work permits/visas between Commonwealth countries. Check out the Australian High Commission wed site - lots of info there. Then we could organise our own Australian meet-up!

 

[Kardashian]

Yeah I think it's pretty easy to get work permits/visas between Commonwealth countries. Check out the Australian High Commission wed site - lots of info there. Then we could organise our own Australian meet-up!

Yay! We really should.

At the moment I'm only 17, almost 18.

I would love to go to move there when I was 18/19, settle then do Uni out there.. but I think it works on a point system, and you need a degree to earn 'point' with immigration.

If either of you use iChat or MSN, we should talk.. keep in contact for 'The Big Aussie Meet-Up '07'